9 Principles of Japanese Art and Culture

There are 9 basic principles that underlie Japanese art and culture. They're called aesthetics — concepts that answer the question: what is art? There are 9 Japanese aesthetics. They are the basis for Japanese art, fashion, pop culture, music and movies. 1. Wabi-sabi (imperfect) Can you imagine if all the characters in movies were perfect? 2. Miyabi is often translated "heartbreaker". 3. Shibui means simple, subtle or unobtrusive. 4. Iki is uniqueness. Iki is the movie character who's a bad-ass with style and grace. 5. Jo-ha-kyu is a tempo that can be translated as — start slowly, accelerate and end suddenly. Modern uses include movies, music and advertising. 6. Yugen states that life is boring when all the facts are known. Where does the smoke come from? 7.Geido (discipline and ethics) Have you ever noticed that Japanese martial arts (and traditional arts) are all about discipline? 8. Ensou is a zen concept. 9. Kawaii is cute.

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